


Former and the Soon to Be, The

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Drama, Episode: s04e05 Debate Camp, Episode: s04e07 Election Night, Episode: s04e08 Process Stories, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-11-26
Updated: 2007-11-26
Packaged: 2019-05-31 08:11:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15115334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: For just a moment Toby thought they might be rushing into marriage.





	Former and the Soon to Be, The

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

“Hello Nora.”

She recognized the voice as she walked down the hall but managed to smile as she turned.

“Hi Congresswoman Wyatt. How are you?” she held out her hand and Andi shook it. She too managed a smile.

“I'm doing well. Congratulations on your victory.”

“I certainly didn’t do it all on my own. Congratulations to you too.”

Of course, it must have been easy to win a barely contested race. Andi practically owned her district and the comfortable denizens were enamored with her, antics and all. She was definitely good at what she did…Andrea Wyatt was the consummate politician.

“Well, it was nice to see you again Congresswoman. Please excuse me.”

“Was it really nice?”

Nora sighed, stopping in her tracks. She really needed to keep walking and though her brain encouraged her feet to go one in front of the other, nothing happened. She swore she heard her brain yell to run but she remained. Well, this had to happen sometime. Better now than later, Nora thought.

“I don’t know what you mean Andi.”

“It always seems as if you are avoiding me.”

“I'm not.”

“Well I know at Debate Camp you seemed to…seeing Toby and I together again in the paper a couple of weeks ago must have been disappointing.”

“It didn’t bother me at all. It’s important for the President, especially in light of his victory to keep his friends close.”

“Oh, OK.” Andi nodded as if it was finally all clear to her. “President Bartlet sent Toby to my headquarters.”

“Toby was encouraged to congratulate you but he never does anything he doesn’t want to. He went to your headquarters because he is that kind of man. Are you trying to insinuate something else? I'm a really smart woman Andi; you don’t have to beat around the bush with me.”

“Toby loves the sheer pursuit of me.” she replied in a nonchalant tone. “Even after the dissolution of our marriage he did not give up. It was a tad bit desperate, but there was something adorable about it.”

“He is engaged to be married. While he may have pursued you in the past, you can be sure that is quite over now. We are very happy together.”

“Oh I know, I know. I just don’t want there to be any friction between the two of us because of my past with him. If he wants to stay close with me I don’t think that should be the cause for any problems. We few women up here should stick together.”

“I see no indication that Toby wants to stay close to you. But you're right; there should be absolutely no friction between us. I really need to go, have a great day Congresswoman.”

“You too Nora. Perhaps we can lunch sometime soon.”

“It’s worth contemplating.” She said.

“Give Toby my love.”

The Special Assistant did not reply as she just beat a hasty retreat. She said quick hellos and goodbyes to staffers and members of Congress as she made her way out of the building. It was already dark outside. Nora pulled her scarf tighter around her neck to combat the fierce wind off the Potomac. Walking back to the White House she thought about what she might have for dinner. There was still hours more work to be done. She could not do another night on an empty stomach.

***

He watched her from the doorway for a little while; Joel said it was OK. Nora sat on the couch listening to her IPod and twirling her hair around a pen. She was deep into a binder but he had no idea what she was reading. He just thought she was beautiful. She was not even trying too hard…it just jumped up and grabbed hold of him by the lapels. Her grey flare-legged slacks and winter white cable knit sweater was typical White House wear but she looked smoking hot in it. The smile that came across Toby’s face when he thought about getting her out of it was unavoidable.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Important government work.” she finally looked up at him and taking her earphones out. “What about you?”

“The same. I find staring at you both important and gratifying. Are you hungry?”

“I had pizza earlier, thought it really didn’t do anything for me. I want a real meal; I crave food groups.”

“We can just get out of here.” He suggested.

“Toby…”

“What? It’s Thursday, and we have a short week coming. We got the President reelected and Sam is going to resign. I want to get the hell out of here.”

“I should at least read the rest of this. Give me an hour and then we can go. If you really want to go though I can just meet you at your place.” She again looked up from her work. “OK?”

She was politely telling him to get lost but Toby did not have to like it. Nora seemed a bit off tonight; he was not sure if he wanted to call her on it. It could mean the difference between spending the night with her and spending it alone.

“Can I have just a little kiss?” he asked, coming further into the office and closing the door. 

“Mmm, I don't know. Have you been a good boy or a bad boy this year?”

Toby sat on the edge of the couch as the smile crept beyond the protective guard of his beard.

“Very good. But on your word I can change that.”

“You love me?” she stroked his beard and Toby shuddered. The electricity of the contact caught him off guard.

“Very much.”

He pulled her close, covering her mouth with his. The binder between them was a bit of a hindrance but Nora did not intend to move it. If Toby had unobstructed access she would never get him out of her office.

“I will wait as long as I have to.” he said, pulling out of the kiss.

“An hour, ninety minutes tops. Go, speechwriter.”

He nodded, though he left with reluctance. If something weren’t right he would deal with it when they were together. In less than a month he would be her husband. It was so important to Toby that their life together started on the right foot.

***

“I'm coming, I'm coming. I'm so sorry.”

“It’s fine. You don’t have to rush. There is still plenty of night left.”

“I know, but I said an hour and it’s been over two.” Nora shoved binders into her soft leather briefcase. “I really have no excuse.”

“You don’t need an excuse Nora. Slow down, you're like Paula Prentiss after she became a Stepford Wife.”

The Special Assistant grinned but she continued at a breakneck place. Finally Toby put his hands on her shoulders.

“Stop.”

“OK, I'm stopped.”

“Only because I'm holding on to you. What's going on?”

“Nothing. I'm just ready to go.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes Toby.”

She swallowed the rest of her sentence because she knew it wouldn’t come out right. She was tense and uptight; upset because of who made her that way.

“Let’s just go. C’mon.”

Toby nodded, helping her into her coat. He tied her scarf before kissing her nose. That made Nora smile. The ride back to his condo was quiet. She did not even flip on any music so the sounds of NPR filled the Dart. He watched her as she watched out the window. It was starting to drizzle so he turned on the windshield wipers. 

As soon as they were inside, Nora went straight to the shower. Toby undressed, changing into sweats and a Patrick Ewing jersey. He put on the radio before going into the kitchen to make a chicken sandwich. Returning with the plate and some drinks, Nora came out of the bathroom in a Terry cloth robe. Her thick brown hair was piled on top of her head.

“I got you a glass of white wine and half a sandwich.” He said.

“Thank you.” She sat on the bed. “Can we talk?”

“Yeah.”

“I ran into Congresswoman Wyatt on the Hill today.”

That certainly explained a lot. Toby would tread carefully with this conversation.

“I never know what to make of her Toby. She is always very cordial but I feel venom underneath. I feel so silly even talking about this. I want to know about your marriage; you never talk about it.”

“We don’t always talk about your marriage to Terry either.”

“You know why it ended. You know what kind of man and husband Terry is. I cannot get a read on Andi and it makes me feel defenseless whenever we are in a room together. Do you know I dumb I feel because I think she may be out to get me?”

“Andi is not out to get you Nora.”

“How do you even know that? Why won't you talk to me about your marriage?” she asked.

“It’s not that. It’s just the past. There were painful, stressful times with Andi and I do not want to relive them.”

“Toby, I am not some meddling reporter, I am going to be your wife. You don’t think talking about this is important.”

“Nora, look…”

“Fine.” She held up her hand. “Andi suggested that we go out to lunch sometime. Maybe she would be more forthcoming.”

“You want to talk to her about my personal life?” Toby did not bother to hide his anger over that thought.

“I want to talk to you about your personal life. Why is it such a deep, dark secret? I bet CJ knows.”

“Don't go there please. CJ and I have been best friends since before the flood…she was there during the marriage. I don’t want to fight with you about this.”

“This is not a fight. My God, every time I want to get information about your past you talk about fighting. I love you but sometimes I feel like I know absolutely nothing about you. You will never understand how difficult it is to be surrounded by other women who do.”

That was true. For just a moment Toby thought they might be rushing into marriage. They had only known each other a year and a half. Their jobs were stressful and being together was their escape. Did that translate into a future together? 

Toby did not want another marriage and divorce under his belt. He did not want another failure. He definitely did not want to face it again while drafting the President’s message. He and Nora would have to work hand in hand while their whole relationship fell apart. 

Wait, what the hell was he thinking? Firstly, he had known Andi in less time than that when he proposed. Secondly, he was sure about Nora. He had never been so sure of anything in his life. That didn’t mean they weren’t rushing considering their combined pasts on marriage. But they loved each other so much. Toby took a gulp of his bourbon and a deep breath. A night off…yeah right.

“Andi and I were married for six years. For two of them I was running the Bartlet campaign and then was White House Communications Director. She filed for divorce in April 1999. I did not contest; it took ninety days to finalize. I loved her but I think I married her for all the wrong reasons, which I do not want to get into.”

Nora nodded, she could guess.

“It started to dissolve early. Andi focused on her career, which was moving fast. Mine was a bit…stagnant. I was getting offers for teaching positions and non-profit work. She was upset with me because she thought I should be focusing on work that could benefit us and not holding on to my political pipe dreams. Then she wanted a family so we started trying.”

“It didn’t work out?” Nora asked.

“No. We had that discussion before. Andi and I just didn’t work out; it could probably be attributed to a million things. I guess its one of those things you had to be there to witness. It’s not exactly a subject I enjoy discussing.”

“If it was so bad then why did you continue to pursue her after it was over?”

“I don’t even know. I hate to lose and she treated it like such a game. She was never going to take me back. None of that has anything to do with you Nora. Since we started dating there has been nothing between Andi and I. Hell, there was nothing before that.”

“How did you know she would never take you back?”

“Because she hates to lose too. Our relationship was not very healthy and it still isn’t.”

“What's our relationship like…to you?”

“It’s everything.”

“Tell me Toby. I can tell you why I love you so much.”

“Our relationship makes me happy. You are so magnificent; you're perfect for me.” he put his arms around her. “You challenge me; you make me want to be better. You deal with all of my moods with such grace; you make me laugh out loud. You are the most beautiful woman I know. I want to talk to you about politics, life, sports, movies, books, and anything else we can come up with. I want you naked in my bed. I want to drink coffee with you and bicker about my imperfections. I want to find the same things amusing. Nora, when I am with you I can just be me and that’s OK.”

“Of course it’s OK.”

“No, it was not OK with Andi. Believe me. She wanted to change me. She wanted me to smile more, be less sad and more engaging. She wanted me to be successful and get a job she could brag to her friends about. She wanted me to reflect better on her political career. All the reasons she married me in the first place became reasons for her to want me out of her life. She wanted a lot, including a baby and when I couldn’t even give her that, it was the last straw. I guess I wasn’t a lot.”

“You are definitely a lot Toby Ziegler. When you do what you do, its 150%. I'm not trying to make you what I want you to be, you just have to know that sometimes I need you to open up to me. Knowing you, all 626 sides, is important to me. It will make our life together all the more joyous.”

“I know.” He kissed her softly. It was why Toby did want to tell her so much. He always wanted to answer her questions and share his life with her. He just had a hard time going back into his past. So much of it he had not reconciled; he still ran from failures and regrets. When he was with Nora though, he never felt as if he was running to catch up.

He felt safe and loved. She understood him and some of his pain. If he did something that did not please her, she called him on it. Ugly things did not fester in their relationship; Nora was not that type of woman. She expressed her feelings and that was Toby’s life breath.

“I do love you.” She stroked his face.

“That’s good to hear.”

“Its true.” She laughed. “I am so in love with you I can hardly see straight. I have never felt this way about anyone in my life.”

“I hope I'm worth it.” Toby replied.

“When you say things like that Toby, it scares me. It makes me think my feelings might be one-sided.”

“No.” he shook his head. “No, no, no sugar, it’s nothing like that. My feelings are just as strong as yours…I can hardly make sense of them. I think that’s what's so scary. I usually like things that make sense.”

“Fuck sense.” Nora climbed into his lap.

Toby laughed, stroking her Terry clothed covered back.

“You know I love when you talk dirty to me Nora.”

“I haven’t begun to talk dirty.”

“That is good news indeed.”

He untied her bathrobe, letting it fall off her shoulders. God, she was so damn beautiful. She had the body of an angel. Was this woman truly in love with him? It boggled Toby’s mind.

“What are you thinking?” she asked, stroking his curls.

“Something so dirty.”

“Show me.” she wore a big smile.

“Really?”

“I'm a big girl…I can handle it.”

“Oh I know you can.”

“So, give me what I want Toby Ziegler.”

“Always. Nora, make me one promise.”

“What?” she kissed him, lifting the jersey over his head.

“That we will make our marriage work, no matter what. If we love each other as much as we do this relationship will always be good for us.”

“Don’t worry. OK, you were born worrying. Just relax, Tobias. You just have to put as much into it as I do; it’s a quid pro quo thing. We are going to take really good care of each other and I think we should start right now.”

Toby rolled them over on the mattress, loving the way Nora laughed. He would show her how well he could take care of her and she would be satisfied. Nora was not Andi and their marriage would not meet the same fate. She promised Toby and he knew her promises meant everything to her. They meant a lot to him too.

***


End file.
